I have not seen any discussion regarding the shift in defensive philosophy from a 3-4 to a 4-3. I am aware that we are going to be multiple, but we are certainly moving away from a base 3-4, and I think that this will prove to be a huge factor. With Pruitt, Tennessee never really found a groove in the 3-4, and I don't believe that we really ever got the right personnel to do so. We never really had any pass rush, from LBs or the line. My premise is that we still have personnel better suited to a 4-3. I am aware that all defenses are multiple these days but most are still based and developed out of a 4-3 or 3-4. We have the makings of a decent defense in a 4-3 and, IMO, a much better pass rush than the last few years. Pruitt's defenses never had a mission. They never had an identity. If anything, the defense's mission might have been "bail out our crappy offense". Gone are the days of ball control, which obviously did not work.
So many people are worried about our LBs. Sure, we don't have a lot of LBs. The one's we do have are better suited to be rushers and in coverage, though perhaps not as good at stopping the run. Overall, the shift back to a 4-3, gives us better rushers on the line as well as at LB.
Roman Harrison never really found a spot. He should be a very good OLB in a 4-3 though he could have been in a 3-4 with better coaching.
Tyler Baron is a traditional 4-3 end. He was too small to be a 3-4 end. And really, he isn't a LB at all.
Byron Young was not here last year, but he could be an exceptional DE in rushing situations as well as an OLB.
Morven Joseph was never big enough to be a DL as some had projected. He probably wasn't big enough for an OLB in the previous scheme, but he should be fine in a more traditional 4-3 as an OLB.
William Mohan is a bit of a tweener, but in passing downs in which the coaches want a 3rd LB, a hybrid with LB leanings, Mohan should be good.
Willis may be good enough to excel as an OLB in a traditional 4-3 or as a rushing specialist or as a second LB when we only go with 2. He is a beast.
Mitchell was a very good MLB at Texas.
Banks may just have needed some coaching.
If you look at what could be our starting D, in particular in pass settings, it does not look that bad, especially when you look at the coaches this year compared to last year.
Line: Tyler Baron DE, Omari Thomas DT, Simmons, Terry or Solomon DT, Butler or Young, DE depending on the situation(very quick DE or large disruptive DE)
Coach: Rodney Garner
LB: Mitchell ILB, Willis, Harrison, or Mohan OLB, again depending on situation.
Coach: Brian Jean-Mary
Backfield: Flowers and McCollough at S, Taylor and Turnage at CB, Slaughter or McDonald or Marley or Hadden or Rucker
Coach Willie Martinez
The LBs never developed which should not be a shock. They were kinda coached for a couple years, with the first year being ,well, the first year and while they were turning it around in year 2, they had a new coach, or lack of coach in year 3, and never got there. When your LBs are failing as they did, the whole defense is going to fail. Any good coach is going to exploit a defense when a whole unit is not functioning as they should.
With Tennessee going back to a base 4-3 and getting coaches who can coach their units as units and within the context of the whole D, ie competent coaching, we will get much more out of the units and out of the defense as a whole. We will also get a much better pass rush with a defense that has a mission. We never really had a stated mission or goal before with Pruitt. They were good at stopping the run or the pass. They did not produce turnovers to any great extent. They never found an identity. This defense will have an identity and they will produce.
In short, Pruitt's defense never seemed to have a mission, a goal as it were, beyond being a 3-4. They never had the right personnel and by year 3 did not even have 2 of the coaches as the DL coach was fired and our LB coach was not a LB coach and didn't seem to coach much anyway. This new system is based on the 4-3, but more importantly, it has a goal, a mission. It wants to create TOs and sacks. It will fail and give up long TD's but it will also cause big turnovers and sacks. We have playmakers in spite of what all the trolls and PTSD Vol fans would have you believe. The most important change that we will see on defense, beyond just having real coaches for each unit, and beyond all those coaches being on the same page, will be the change in philosophy. Before Pruitt's defense was a 3-4 with no real mission, no identity, no real attainable goals. Now we have a coach, a system, and a philosophy, AND it is all structured with a mission, a focus if you will. That mission will be to get the ball back, to take chances, to rush, to be multiple, etc,
We will have a disruptive defense and we do have the athletes, right now. We will shock the masses. The new philosophy is to attack, both on defense and offense and that is a monumental shift from the past. Fulmer and Pruitt were both of the old-school. Ball control and beat them down with your beasts. That does not work anymore. We have finally arrived to the party.
So many people are worried about our LBs. Sure, we don't have a lot of LBs. The one's we do have are better suited to be rushers and in coverage, though perhaps not as good at stopping the run. Overall, the shift back to a 4-3, gives us better rushers on the line as well as at LB.
Roman Harrison never really found a spot. He should be a very good OLB in a 4-3 though he could have been in a 3-4 with better coaching.
Tyler Baron is a traditional 4-3 end. He was too small to be a 3-4 end. And really, he isn't a LB at all.
Byron Young was not here last year, but he could be an exceptional DE in rushing situations as well as an OLB.
Morven Joseph was never big enough to be a DL as some had projected. He probably wasn't big enough for an OLB in the previous scheme, but he should be fine in a more traditional 4-3 as an OLB.
William Mohan is a bit of a tweener, but in passing downs in which the coaches want a 3rd LB, a hybrid with LB leanings, Mohan should be good.
Willis may be good enough to excel as an OLB in a traditional 4-3 or as a rushing specialist or as a second LB when we only go with 2. He is a beast.
Mitchell was a very good MLB at Texas.
Banks may just have needed some coaching.
If you look at what could be our starting D, in particular in pass settings, it does not look that bad, especially when you look at the coaches this year compared to last year.
Line: Tyler Baron DE, Omari Thomas DT, Simmons, Terry or Solomon DT, Butler or Young, DE depending on the situation(very quick DE or large disruptive DE)
Coach: Rodney Garner
LB: Mitchell ILB, Willis, Harrison, or Mohan OLB, again depending on situation.
Coach: Brian Jean-Mary
Backfield: Flowers and McCollough at S, Taylor and Turnage at CB, Slaughter or McDonald or Marley or Hadden or Rucker
Coach Willie Martinez
The LBs never developed which should not be a shock. They were kinda coached for a couple years, with the first year being ,well, the first year and while they were turning it around in year 2, they had a new coach, or lack of coach in year 3, and never got there. When your LBs are failing as they did, the whole defense is going to fail. Any good coach is going to exploit a defense when a whole unit is not functioning as they should.
With Tennessee going back to a base 4-3 and getting coaches who can coach their units as units and within the context of the whole D, ie competent coaching, we will get much more out of the units and out of the defense as a whole. We will also get a much better pass rush with a defense that has a mission. We never really had a stated mission or goal before with Pruitt. They were good at stopping the run or the pass. They did not produce turnovers to any great extent. They never found an identity. This defense will have an identity and they will produce.
In short, Pruitt's defense never seemed to have a mission, a goal as it were, beyond being a 3-4. They never had the right personnel and by year 3 did not even have 2 of the coaches as the DL coach was fired and our LB coach was not a LB coach and didn't seem to coach much anyway. This new system is based on the 4-3, but more importantly, it has a goal, a mission. It wants to create TOs and sacks. It will fail and give up long TD's but it will also cause big turnovers and sacks. We have playmakers in spite of what all the trolls and PTSD Vol fans would have you believe. The most important change that we will see on defense, beyond just having real coaches for each unit, and beyond all those coaches being on the same page, will be the change in philosophy. Before Pruitt's defense was a 3-4 with no real mission, no identity, no real attainable goals. Now we have a coach, a system, and a philosophy, AND it is all structured with a mission, a focus if you will. That mission will be to get the ball back, to take chances, to rush, to be multiple, etc,
We will have a disruptive defense and we do have the athletes, right now. We will shock the masses. The new philosophy is to attack, both on defense and offense and that is a monumental shift from the past. Fulmer and Pruitt were both of the old-school. Ball control and beat them down with your beasts. That does not work anymore. We have finally arrived to the party.
